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The City of Covington, Ga. has completed several large public works projects with a major drinking water pipe upgrade currently underway.

The City is working through phase one of a four-phase drinking water pipe replacement project along Old Monticello Street towards the Covington Square. Work has been completed from close to Highway 36 to King Street which includes several side streets.

“The pipe currently in place is nearly 100-years-old in some areas,” said Tres Thomas, City Engineer. “We are replacing existing pipe with a diameter of between two and eight inches with new pipe ranging from eight to 12 inches. In addition to the larger diameter, the pipe being installed is made from modern materials and offers a safer water supply line for citizens.”

The pipe will be replaced with PolyVinyl Chloride and ductile iron pipe which has a life expectancy of 75 to 100 years. The four-phase project will total approximately $2.5 million in costs paid for by a federal grant and when finished the work will have essentially stretched from Hwy. 36 to the Covington Square.

A storm water project at the corner of Town Branch Ct. and Jackson Hwy. has recently been completed. Work started Dec. 15, was completed Dec. 19 and included an upgrade to the 20-year-old Department of Transportation installed drainage system.

“Erosion of the bank along the roadway was causing a major safety issue for pedestrian and vehicular traffic as well as an environmental concern,” said Transportation Department Manager Ken Swain.

A head wall and man hole was installed to help move storm water without causing future erosion.

“We repaired the eroded bank leading up to the roadway from the stream bed, upgraded the drainage system and upon completion, placed sod instead of grass seed to be more esthetically pleasing but also to help with immediate erosion control of the steep bank,” Swain concluded.

The improvement cost approximately $20,000 and was paid for through a Local Maintenance Improvement Grant.

Another recently completed task was a bicycle and sidewalk extension that now connects the Covington Square with the Turner Lake Park complex. The project cost approximately $400,000 and was paid for with a Transportation Enhancement grant.

The extension just finished was approximately one-half mile in length bringing the total distance of the bicycle and sidewalk project to nearly six miles.

“With the completion of this portion of the sidewalk on Clark Street you can now travel from Eastside High School to the Turner Lake Park complex on a designated bike trail or sidewalk,” Swain said.